1. Technical Field
This description generally relates to the field of gaming networks and gaming properties, and more particularly to managing and distributing information among gaming properties.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the growth in the gaming industry, many gaming properties (such as casinos, casino hotels, sports books, etc.) must now keep track of hundreds of thousands of transactions each day. To facilitate wagering, gaming properties have also begun to provide credit and banking services typically associated with banks and other traditional financial institutions. For example, many gaming properties now accept deposits from patrons (as “front money”), extend short-term loans to patrons (“marker payments”), and maintain patron cash accounts. As a result, gaming properties have come to rely upon large and complex accounting databases for managing the constant inflow and outflow of cash and credit.
Many gaming properties have also developed systems (which may or may not be independent from the above-described accounting databases) for recognizing and rewarding their patrons. For example, gaming properties frequently issue patron club cards (e.g., patron promotional cards, patron tracking cards, loyalty program cards). These patron club cards are unique to each patron and may be used by the gaming properties to monitor gambling, lodging, dining and other activities of their patrons. The patron club cards may also be associated with patrons' cash accounts and other financial services that patrons may access at the gaming property. All of this information may then be tracked on patron databases.
Despite this increasing accounting complexity within each gaming property, gaming properties are often independently operated, and very little information is shared between them. Indeed, although many gaming properties are commonly owned by large corporations, the gaming properties are often run as separate entities with their own accounting and patron databases. As a result, cash vouchers, coupons and promotional deals originating at one gaming property are often not accepted at other gaming properties. Moreover, commonly owned gaming properties are typically unable to provide their patrons with access to all of the same financial resources.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a method for securely and efficiently sharing information among gaming properties.